Vatican, Dec. 19, 2007 (CWNews.com) - At his weekly public audience on December 19, Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) said that a secular Christmas celebration is impossible.

"If we do not recognize that God was made man, what sense does it have to celebrate Christmas?" the Holy Father asked. "We Christians must reaffirm with profound and heartfelt conviction the truth of Christ's Nativity."

Speaking to about 5,000 people in the Paul VI auditorium, the Pope acknowledged that many people make the effort to separate the Christmas celebration from the message of the Incarnation. He added that the Christian joy at the Nativity encounters opposition in a secular society that has "formed a view of tolerance and pluralism such that to believe that Truth has been effectively manifested appears to constitute an attack on tolerance and the freedom of man."

Nevertheless Christians have a duty to proclaim the truth, and speak out about the reason for Christmas joy. That duty, he said, "arises from the duty of evangelization." In his final Wednesday audience before Christmas, Pope Benedict encouraged the faithful to pray "more intensely for the realization of hopes of peace and salvation." Breaking from his prepared text, he reflected that the world is longing to see justice done. "In this context," he said, "we pray to Jesus Christ to come as a Judge."

While praying for justice, the Pope continued extemporaneously, Christians should also do their best at "creating justice in our own lives" as they prepare to celebrate Christ's coming.

"If we do not recognize that God was made man, what sense does it have to celebrate Christmas?" the Holy Father asked. "We Christians must reaffirm with profound and heartfelt conviction the truth of Christ's Nativity."

"Because there's a pattern here," he added. "Every other word out of [Huckabee's] mouth is that 'I'm Christian.' He's calling into question Romney's Mormonism...let people talk about their faith, but don't sell it on your sleeve."

Added Donahue, "Yeah, I believe in freedom of speech and freedom of religion, but don't become a salesman. Don't hawk it like that on the street."

The Catholic League president suggested that Huckabee was relying on his faith too heavily as a campaign tactic.

"If it was just the Christmas ad, I wouldn't have one complaint about it," he said. "But when you juxtapose that with all these other kinds of things, there's a subliminal message there, and it's all done intentionally...what he's trying to say to the evangelicals in Western Iowa is 'I'm the real thing.'"

3
posted on 12/20/2007 7:07:59 AM PST
by Alex Murphy
("Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, for it is an evil time." - Amos 5:13)

Reminds me of C.S. Lewis's essay on "Christmas and Xmas"! OTOH, maybe the secular celebration has its uses for those who don't understand -- I saw something in First Things a year or two ago, citing St. Francis of Assisi saying that the animals should be given an extra portion of food on Christmas, so that they too can rejoice, even if they don't understand why! ;-)

Sadly in our culture that is what it has become. We have parties and give presents in December to support the stores.

A friend of mine, last year, after getting rather bummed out about the commercialization of Christmas, said that one of these days he is going to “Just give the kids three gifts, if it was good enough for Christ it will be good enough for them”.

I think he had a good point. Christmas is about the Incarnation, not presents, lights, or trees.

At his weekly public audience on December 19, Pope Benedict XVI said that a secular Christmas celebration is impossible. "If we do not recognize that God was made man, what sense does it have to celebrate Christmas?" the Holy Father asked. "We Christians must reaffirm with profound and heartfelt conviction the truth of Christ's Nativity."

As a Lutheran pastor, I do not agree with the Pope on a number of issues. But I do agree with him on this!

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